Instagram Comes to the Apple Watch

When the Apple Watch launched in April 2015, there weren't many third-party apps available. That's what made the Instagram app so unique. Through working directly with Apple, Instagram launched the first social networking app on the Apple Watch.

The team at Instagram aimed to develop the Watch app to feel as intimate as the watch itself. A quick glance of the app shows your feed as it happens. The developers did not include every feature from the full mobile app, instead they optimized to only the most simple and crucial features for interaction. In a way, this simpler form creates a new experience for Instagrammers in itself, where the detail and depth of hashtags are simply ignored for a singular focus on your feed and followers.

The Instagram Apple Watch App Experience

When launching the app, the Apple Watch face fills with the latest post to your Instagram feed. Swipe up and down to view more photos, or use the digital crown for a control unique to the Apple Watch. You can like each photo too. Instead of allowing a full comment with a QWERTY keyboard, you can leave a reply with emojis.

Charting a Path for Future Apps

Instagram's app is less of a feature-limited execution and more of an example for how developers can design the right experience for the even smaller screen. It's a practice in continuing to reduce until only the essence of the app is left, and not a single button or toggle more.

Instagram for Apple Watch is available on the Apple Watch App Store. If you have Instagram installed on your iPhone, it will load automatically onto your Apple Watch. For ideas and a curated collection of Apple Watch bands, visit http://www.bands.watch.